Ride of a Lifetime
by Rowena of Naxen
Summary: Max, Ella, Gazzy, Angel and their friend Iggy lead boring, normal high-school lives until they meet Nick and Monique. Foster kids with a dangerous past, they will show them a world they never knew of evil scientists and kids with wings. AU, not AH. R&R?
1. Chapter 1

**Ride of a Lifetime**

Max roared into Iggy's driveway, honking loudly as her friend ran out the door with his backpack falling off his shoulders and came down the path to where her car was always parked.

"I swear, Max, you get here earlier every day," he complained, getting in the passenger seat and fastening his seat belt unerringly even though he was legally blind.

"I'm actually hear later, Ig." Max told him as she sped toward the school. "You must be getting up later. And before you ask, Ella's still sick so she's not coming in today. She sends her love." Max rolled her eyes at the gushy emotion. Her best friend and her sister going out-an awkward situation she'd never imagined herself in and wasn't exactly enjoying.

Iggy groaned and leaned his head back against the seat. "When is she gonna get better?"

Max sighed. "I don't know, why don't you go ask her germs? She said she was feeling better but Mom won't let her out of the house until she's been on the medication for two days."

Iggy groaned again.

Max rolled her eyes, not paying attention to the road, when Angel suddenly screamed "_Max! _Watch out for that guy!"

Max looked up in shock, pulling the steering wheel and just missing running over a tall boy with dark hair. He jumped backwards, looking startled.

She rushed to get out of the car. "Oh my god! I am so sorry! I totally wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you okay?"

The boy looked at her, and Max wondered why he was wearing all black when it was still hot outside. "I'm fine." He said simply. "Thanks, uh-"

"I'm Max. Max Ride," Max said, sticking her hand out. He shook it quickly.

"F-Nick. Nick Walker."

"Okay, Fnick." Max said jokingly. "Sorry I almost ran you over, but I have to go. I can't be late for math again."

Nick smirked at her and walked away. Max got back in the car, where Iggy, Gazzy and Angel were cracking up.

"Max almost ran over an emo kid!" Angel gasped. Max glared at her.

"Gosh, nice going," Iggy snorted. "Your driving really sucks."

"So does yours." Max quipped.

"I have an excuse-blind, remember?"

Max sighed. "I'm so under appreciated. I give you a ride to school ever day, and this is how you treat me?"

"Max almost ran over a goth guy," Gazzy said, and they all cracked up again.

*****

_**The next day…**_

"Guess what?"

Max groaned. She'd learned that her mom usually said things in that sing-song voice when she knew her daughters wouldn't be too thrilled about them.

"What is it, and why aren't we going to like it?" Max asked.

"You might actually like this one, Max, if you'd give it a chance." Her mother scolded. "We're having a dinner party."

"Oh yeah, I'll love that." she said sarcastically.

Valencia Martinez pursed her lips and glared at her daughter. "It's not going to be painful, Maximum! We're having the Griffiths over! And a new colleague of mine, Anne Walker. She just adopted two children, Nick, who's your age, and Monique, who's Gazzy's age." She paused. "Have you met them at school?"

"I think I met Nick." Max said evasively.

"How?"

"Um…well, I- I almost ran him over."

Whereas any other mother would freak out over this, Dr. Martinez just stared at Max. "You really need to work on your driving."

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, because I'm not James Patterson! Huge shocker to y'all, I know.**

_A/N: So, I don't have any MR characters kidnapped, so you'll just have to deal with silly little me doing the talking *smiles*. I should be answering questions on 'The Epic of Gilgamesh', but I'm writing this! Yes, I am starting another fanfic, even though school is starting soon. Don't expect super-frequent updates. Yes, Nick and Monique are Fang and Nudge-how did you ever guess??? No, this is not All Human. *evil smile* If you want to know more, review and I'll update as quick as possible! -rowena_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ride of a Lifetime**

_**The dinner party…**_

"Oh, joy."

Max described what everyone was thinking perfectly, because the dinner party was _not_ something Dr. Martinez's four children were looking forward to.

Yet, there they were, nicely dressed and ready to socialize-Max and Ella were sitting on the couch silently, Gazzy was finishing up some bombing video game, and Angel was talking softly to her dog, Total.

Iggy's parents arrived early, as always.

"Sorry, we're a bit early, Val." Said Iggy's mom as she hugged Dr. Martinez.

"Oh, it's no problem. Come on in," Dr. Martinez said, overly-happily. Max fought the urge to gag at the pleasantries as Iggy stepped out from behind his parents.

"Hey Iggy," Ella called as she bounced over, grabbing his hand and kissing him quickly on the cheek. Dr. Martinez had asked her to "try to keep it G-rated" around their guests. She grinned at at the adults and said to Iggy, "Come sit with us. She pulled Iggy over to the "tech corner", as they called it. The T.V., video game systems and fancy Apple computers all resided in the living room.

"Hey Ig," Max said tiredly. She did_ not_ want to be at the party.

"Max?"

"I'm right next to you." She said, bringing his hand up to feel her face.

"Right, sorry. All the talking and I can't tell where anything is."

"But we won't let you get lost," Ella said, cuddling into his side. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"The new guy's coming. You know- the one that you said Max ran over?"

"I did not run over him!" Max interrupted angrily.

"Oh, yeah?" Iggy taunted.

"Yeah. I _almost_ ran over him. There's a difference."

Gazzy overheard her and sat down next to his older sister. "Not a very big one. Hey, Ig."

"Gaz. How's eight grade?"

"Too much work. How's junior year?"

"Ditto."

Max laughed as the doorbell rang again, and she jumped up to get it.

She opened the door to the most fake-looking woman she had ever seen. She supposed she was trying to look like your typical working mom, but was failing at it dreadfully. Her thin, light brown hair was pulled back into a bun and her business suit only made her look like a secretary. Next to her stood a tall African-American girl with curly hair. She seemed uncomfortable with the hand that the woman had on her shoulder. Behind them was the boy in black that Max had almost run over. Nick and Monique. The woman must be Anne Walker.

"Hey, honey." Anne Walker said, smiling too cheerfully at Max. "You must be Angel. Do you know where Mrs. Martinez is?"

Max was shocked. She's been confused with Ella before, but _Angel?_ Angel was 5 years younger than her and bright blonde. Besides, her mom was a vet, not Mrs. Martinez-she wasn't even married!

Max swallowed the rude comment she was about to make and smiled fakely. "My mom, _Dr._ Martinez, will be here in just a sec. By the way, I'm Max, not Angel." Max stuck out her hand, and Anne Walker shook it weakly.

Suddenly she heard her mother's voice behind her. "Anne! I'm so glad you could make it!" and her mother opened the door wider, letting the Walkers in.

"Valencia, it is our pleasure." Anne said sweetly. "You don't know my lovely children, do you? This is Nick," she said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. He seemed extremely uncomfortable and stepped forward nonchalantly, shaking it off.

"Hey." He said.

Anne looked at him sourly, obviously wishing he would say more. Her wish was rewarded when she introduced the girl named Monique.

"Gosh, Dr. Martinez, you've got a beautiful house." Monique gushed. "It's really pretty, and big-not big, really, more like, like-spacious. I bet it looks so pretty in the winter, when it gets all covered in snow, it could probably be on the front of a card, or-" Nick lightly laid a hand on Monique's shoulder, and she seemed to realize she was rambling. She swallowed, and said quieter. "Thanks for having us over, Dr. M."

Max's mom smiled down at her. "You're welcome, all of you. Monique, I'm sure Angel and Gazzy would love to give you the grand tour of our house." At this Angel came over and grabbed the older girl's hand, pulling her away. "And Nick, you can talk with Max, Ella, and Iggy. The food's almost ready-Anne, you must come into the other room and meet the Griffiths!"

Max once again admired her mother for handling awkward situations so well-she'd never be able to do that. She walked over to her sister and Iggy with Nick on her heels, and it seemed to be up to her to introduce him.

"Um, I'm sure you remember me, but this is my little sister Ella-" Ella shot a glare toward Max before smiling at Nick "-and her boyfriend Iggy."

Nick went to shake his hand and Iggy didn't respond. "Oh, forgot to mention he's blind." Ella said. "He can only really see colors."

"And thanks for talking about me like I'm not in the room," Iggy grumbled.

Nick sat down. "Seriously, though. Your name is Iggy?"

"That's not really his name," Ella giggled. "It's really James Jeffery Griffiths, but he hates it, so we just call him Iggy."

"Don't ask how we got that name, the story's too long." Max cut in. "It's from when we were really little, anyways."

"Iggy, then." Nick said. "And sorry about N- about my sister rambling on like that. She tends to talk a lot when she gets nervous."

"That's okay." Max said. "Sometimes we can't shut Angel and Gazzy up either."

"Gazzy? _Angel?_" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Um, yeah. Our names are kind of…weird." Max trailed off.

"Except for mine," Ella pointed out. "I'm the normal one."

"Sure you are." Max rolled her eyes. "My name- it's actually Maximum. But I prefer Max, y'know? Much simpler. And Angel's really Angeline, but we shortened it, 'cause she looks kind of like an angel. Gazzy's real name is Michael but you don't want to know how he got that nickname."

"I'm sure he'll find out soon enough." Iggy said, laughing. "It can be disgusting."

Nick made an disgusted face. "Um, lovely."

Ella laughed. "Not really, actually."

"But they look- no offense- nothing like you two." Nick said, nodding to Max and Ella.

"They're adopted. They were in foster care but Mom adopted them like 5 years ago." Max told him. "You're adopted too, right?"

"Yeah." Nick seemed uncomfortable, and while Max was desperate to know more, she didn't want to make him feel totally uncomfortable. He was their guest, after all.

"That's cool." Iggy said. "I mean, I wish I had siblings." He sighed. "Luckily I've lived down the street from the Martinez's my whole life- _nothing_ is boring with these two around." He laughed again, pulling Ella close and kissing her quickly. Nick laughed too, but his eyes were trained on Max.

"Dinner!" Dr. Martinez called, and they all went into the kitchen.

**Disclaimer: I'm not a guy, and I don't live in Florida…conclusion: I'm not JP and I don't own MR. My wonderful, amazing, not-quite-developed plot is all mine, though.**

_A/N: 8 reviews! I've never gotten 8 reviews for just the first chapter of a story before-this is awesome! And Story Alerts, and Favorites- thanks so much! I'm glad you guys like this, and here's chapter two-I hope it's okay. Updates won't be as quick once school starts, just so you know, but reviews make me update quicker! Special thanks to __**Arin Blaire**__ for beta-reading too._

_Interesting question: __**flaming carebears**__ asked if Max and the others were mutants too. Answer: you'll have to wait and find out! But this story isn't just going to be their high school drama, I promise you that. –rowena_

Anonymous Review Replys:

**)( *wings )( **-thanks! And see, I updated! –rowena

**AmY !** – glad you like it so far, hope this chapter is good too! See, I updated! -rowena


	3. Chapter 3

**Ride of a Lifetime**

"So what did you think of them?" Ella asked, plopping herself onto Max's bed uninvited.

"Nick and Monique? They're okay, I guess. Nick doesn't talk much, but Monique definitely makes up for it." Max was beginning to doubt Nick's claim that Monique only babbled when she was nervous-either, he was lying or she was always nervous. Max wasn't sure how Gazzy put up with it all evening, or how Angel managed to follow what she was saying _and_ reply.

Ella rolled her eyes. "What did you think of Nick?" She asked, as if it was obvious that was what her first question had been asking.

"He seems…nice?" Max offered.

"Yeah, right. 'Nice'. I'm your sister, Max. Admit it-you're totally into him."

Max prayed that Ella didn't notice her cheeks heating up. "I mean, he's cute, I guess, but…" she trailed off slowly.

"But you don't date." Ella filled in. Max nodded. "Seriously, that's ridiculous. I mean, if you like someone you should be with them." She smiled dreamily. "Just look at how happy Iggy and I are." Max resisted the urge to gag at her sister's gooey expression. "And you and Nick would be such a cute couple!"

"Um, thanks for the advice, sis, but, I think I'll stick to my no-dating policy."

Ella frowned. "Fine. Be miserable. See if I care." She huffed dramatically, sweeping out of the room.

"I'm not miserable! I'm just sensible!" Max shouted after her, listening to Ella's laughter echo in the hall.

* * * * *

Fang and Nudge listened to Anne ramble on about Dr. Martinez's dinner party and the Griffiths all the way home. It was big, bigger than anything the two siblings were used to, but they weren't happy there. Anne was controlling, and wanted them to live 'normal' lives- enroll in school, meet other teenagers, make friends-all of which was difficult when you're a mutant with _wings_. Not to mention the fact that Fang and Nudge were just not used to having someone telling them what to do and expecting they _obey_. Usually it was just the two of them, flying free (literally). Fang was technically in charge, since he was older, but most the two of them made all their decisions together.

That was why they were so close, much closer than you'd expect a brother and sister to be, especially when there was a three year age difference. It didn't matter that they weren't actually related.

"Fang?" Nudge's voice came from outside his window and he immediately threw it open and let her in.

"Nudge, shh. Anne will freak, and we don't want her knowing our real names." He paused, looking at her shivering, tawny wings open, and asked, "Why are you here, anyways?"

"I had to talk to you without _her_ knowing." Nudge whispered. "About them."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "What about them?" he asked. They both knew they were talking about the kids they had met- Dr. Martinez's four children and their friend Iggy.

"Didn't they look…different to you?"

"Different from each other? Hell yeah."

Nudge sighed. "No. I mean- they're tall, like us. They're all super-thin like us too. And did you see how much they ate? Their appetites are out of control, and you know we need tons of calories-"

"No way, Nudge." Fang cut her off. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not possible. Do you think Itex would have left them alone this long?"

"Itex doesn't know where they are, Fang. They lost them. Remember the files!" Nudge whispered urgently.

"Itex would have found them by now if they were all living on the same block, four of them in the same _house_! It's crazy."

Nudge sighed again. "Maybe you're right. I just want to find them so badly, to warn them. They shouldn't have to go through what we went through- we need to find them."

"I know, Nudge. We will. But I seriously doubt it's Max and her friends."

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters! But the plot is all mine! *evil laugh***

_A/N: duh-dun-dah! The plot thickens. And some Fax for y'all, because I love Fax! *smiles* Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed/added this story to their Story Alerts/favorite this story, because I appreciate it so much! And extra thanks to __**Arin Blaire**__ for beta-reading. Interesting question: __**AmY !**__ asked do Fang and Nudge know Max, Ig, Gaz, and Angel already or have they been brainwashed? Answer: they don't already know them, and they haven't been brainwashed. This is an alternate version of the flock discovering Itex from the School. More will be revealed later!_

Anonymous Review Reply: **AmY ! **– Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked the chapter :) I answered your question, and Total was mentioned briefly in the previous chapter as Angel's dog. He'll be with the flock though, don't worry! Thanks again, -rowena

**)( *wings* )( **- Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like the story :) And I updated now, I'm trying to update as frequently as I can! –rowena


	4. Chapter 4

**Ride of a Lifetime**

"Talk to people! Try and make friends!"

Anne's annoying proclamations were ringing in Fang's ears as he walked into school. Didn't she get that they weren't used to having conversations? Talking to people usually meant risking capture- of course, they were probably living in a house with a woman who was probably involved with Itex, so it didn't matter now.

He looked around for Max and the others and found them on the front steps of the school. As he walked over to them, Nudge trailed behind him, silent-for once.

Max looked up at him as they approached. "Hey, Nick." She said with a grin.

"Max." he greeted her with a half-smile, and nodded at the others.

"Anyways, I think you should come with us." Ella said quickly, obviously continuing a conversation with her sister. "You don't have to buy anything fancy, but you could really use some new jeans." They both looked down at Max's ripped and stained blue jeans, Max's gaze impassive while Ella's was disgusted.

"These are fine." Max answered.

"Look at them! The knee is practically gone-"

"I like them like that-"

"And they're stained all over!"

"That's 'cause I drew on them!" Max said irritably. "And the last time I went shopping with you and Angel, I ended up with a _skirt_."

"Heaven forbid!" Iggy exclaimed sarcastically.

Angel ignored him. "What's wrong with a skirt?"

"Nothing, except for the fact that you can't even _move_ in them." Max grumbled.

Come on, Max." Angel sighed. "It'll be fun. Monique can come too!"

Beside Fang, Nudge's face lit up. She was loving the whole 'be normal' thing, and being invited somewhere by her new friends had just made her day.

"I'd love to!" she gushed.

Ella smiled. "Awesome! We'll let you know when- though, probably next weekend. It'll be me and Angel, and hopefully Max." she threw a glare at Max, who was studiously ignoring her.

Nudge laughed. "Cool."

Max rolled her eyes. "C'mon, guys, we should go inside now. Iggy, you've got English with me, right?"

"Yeah," Iggy said, walking towards her.

"I have that too," Fang said. "I'll come with you."

"Great. Are you any good at spelling?" Iggy asked.

"Um, not really." Fang admitted.

He swore. "Me neither, and Max just sucks." The glare that was thrown at him by Max went unnoticed, seeing as how he was blind. "Ella's great though- it's kind of embarrassing to have your girlfriend helping you with your English homework, especially when she's a year below you. But it _is_ useful."

"Sexist much?" Max snorted.

Iggy rolled his eyes. Fang watched the two of them, quickly getting used to their friendly banter. He was sure they were on their 'good' behavior right now.

"Only to you, Max." Iggy complained. "Come on, we've got to go."

The two of them sped up, with Fang matching their pace easily. Max and Iggy were still talking, not trying to drag him into the conversation but not ignoring him either. Max, Iggy, and Ella would have been great friends to any new high school student. Gazzy and Angel would have been awesome people for someone in junior high, like Nudge, to know.

Making new friends-that was what Anne had wanted, right?

Except they were mutants with wings, so it probably wouldn't work out.

And Fang found the tiniest bit of him wishing that Nudge had been right the night before.

**Disclaimer: I'm still not James Patterson! But the plot is mine. **

_A/N: I had to write this after going to visit my soul-dead grandfather, aunt and uncles with my parents. What a lovely house that is-you walk in the door and feel the despair._

_On a happier note, thank you for all the reviews! 27 reviews for three chapters! That's like, 9 per chapter. I'm insanely happy. _

_If I ever accidentally type Fang or Nudge when it's focusing on Max, I mean Nick or Monique. Ditto if I type Fang or Nudge in something someone is saying (except when it's just them). My beta and I (Thank you __**Arin Blaire**__!) try to catch them all, but __**thecolorsoftwilight**__ informed me I missed one in chapter two. My bad._

_Interesting questions: __**Faxnesslover9644**__ asked if Max, Iggy, Gazzy and Angel have wings or not? And the answer is: You must wait and find out! Okay, that's mean. I'll say this: They don't have wings (yet). To clear something up, __**tearsXsolitude**__ asked are Fang and Nudge like bf gf thing? Or just brother sister? And the answer: brother and sister, of course! I love writing their sibling relationship, but I am an obsessive Max/Fang shipper. I'm also a fan of Nudge/well written OC (aka, not Iggy!) Hope that clears things up._

Anonymous review reply: **Me –** That would have been very funny, but wouldn't have gone with the story! Thanks for reviewing! –rowena

**RoSaDbAdAsSgUaRdAiNs** – Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the story :D –rowena


	5. Chapter 5

**Ride of a Lifetime**

And somehow Ella had convinced Max to go shopping.

Correction: Ella had convinced Dr. Martinez to _order_ Max to go shopping. She had agreed with Ella about Max needing some new jeans.

"Not something fancy, Max, just something un-ripped. Is that really that hard?" She asked.

Ella and Angel giggled as Max shuffled her feet and finally sighed. "No."

"Good." Dr. Martinez smiled. "You girls have fun!"

Which was how Max ended up driving around the parking garage at the _mall_, trying to find an empty space.

"This is stupid," she growled. "It's _way_ too crowded here! If there's this many people outside, just think of how many people there will be inside."

In the backseat Monique and Angel laughed. "It'll be fine, Max. There's more room inside." Angel told her, than turned back to the story Monique was telling her. The two girls had become fast friends, even though they were two years apart.

Nick had also fallen in easily with Max, Iggy, and their other friends. At first, some of them thought it was strange how quiet he was, but they came to appreciate his ironic points and sarcastic remarks, along with the silence.

Max finally parked the car and got out, slamming the door. Ella, Angel and Monique tried not to laugh at the expression on her face, and failed.

"It's not so bad, Max." Monique said. "Shopping can sometimes be actually fun."

"I'm sure." Max muttered, following the others as they hurried towards the mall. She sighed. Why had she agreed to come?

*****

After what felt like hours of shopping, Max convinced the others to take a break. They bought snowballs and sat down to eat them at the food court. Angel and Monique went to get a soft pretzel while Ella and Max started on their snow balls.

"See, Max, shopping isn't horrible." Ella said loftily.

"I still don't think I even needed new jeans," Max said. "Let alone a _dress_."

"But Max," Ella said, "Now if we ever go to a party, you'll have something to wear!"

"Oh, yeah, that's definitely going to happen." Max said sarcastically. Angel laughed.

Ella glared at her sister. "Or you could wear it to school-I'm sure Nick would look at you then."

Max turned red. "I don't like Nick," she said.

Ella snorted. "Sure you don't."

"Don't make me hurt you," Max threatened.

"You wouldn't hurt me, Max, you love me! I'm your sister!" Ella said sweetly.

Max was about to retort when a boy about their age walked over to them. He looked at Ella, narrowed his eyes, and asked "Ella Martinez, right?"

Ella laughed. "Sam! It's been forever."

"I know," Sam said.

Max took another bite of her cherry snowball just as Ella said "Oh, Sam! This is my sister Max-I told you about her, right? Max, this is Sam. We went to camp together last year."

Max swallowed quickly and reached out to shake Sam's hand. "Hello," she said.

"Hey." He held her hand longer than necessary, his eyes going down her body. Max blushed-she wasn't used to guys checking her out. He turned back to Ella. "I'm having a party in a couple of weeks-you should definitely come. It's going to be a blast!"

Ella grinned. "I'd love to come!"

"What about you, Max?" Sam asked.

She nodded. "Ella will probably drag me along anyways, so sure." She said.

"Great!" Sam wrote down the address on one of their napkins and handed it to Ella.

"Is it alright if I bring my boyfriend?" Ella asked.

"Sure." Sam said. "Max, did you…?"

"Oh, Max isn't dating anyone." Ella cut in.

He grinned again. "Then you'll be there! Great to see you, Ella, nice to meet you Max," he said and walked away.

Max looked at Ella. "You didn't have to tell him that." she said.

"What? I thought you didn't like Nick?" she asked, just as Monique and Angel bounced up to the table.

"You like Nick?" Monique asked, eyes wide.

"No!" Max said, blushing. The last thing she needed was Nick's little sister telling him Max had a crush on him.

"Okay," Monique said smugly. Max swore in her head.

"Guess what?" Ella cut in. "My friend Sam just invited Max and me to a party he's having!" She turned to Ella with a smug expression. "Now you have someplace to where that dress."

* * * * *

_Nick was standing on a cliff. The sky was a dangerous gray around him, the rocks covered in moss. The storm made the waves crash against the cliff side, splashing saltwater in his grim face. His eyes were closed, but slowly he opened them and turned back to face Max._

_"We have to go now," he said. His voice was low, barely concealing the edge of panic in his voice._

_"Now?" Max asked. She stood a few yards behind him, freezing in her shorts and T-shirt. The cold seeped through her thin sneakers and sweater and she longed for the warmth of home._

_Nick gazed at her steadily. He was wearing his usual black jeans and T-shirt, but he was also wearing a strange necklace Max had never seen before- it looked like some sort of shark tooth or fang._

_"Now." He said solemnly. "Please, Max. You have to come."_

_She shook her head, unwilling. "I can't."_

_"Then I'll have to go alone." He said darkly. Suddenly, he snapped open his beautiful wings. They were fourteen feet from tip to tip, made up of long feathers so black they were almost purple. _

_He looked back at her once more and stepped toward the edge. "Goodbye, Max."_

_And he stepped off the edge of the cliff. _

_Max screamed, but then those powerful wings were beating, and he was rising into the air above her. _

_"Wait!" she cried, running to the edge. She wanted desperately to follow him, to fly through the night sky and away from the storm, but she couldn't. He was gone, and she was bound to the land._

_"I'll never fly," she sobbed quietly, wrapping her arms around herself. "And now he's gone."_

Max bolted upright, gasping. What the hell was that? She'd just had the freaking weirdest dream _ever_. Nick had had…wings? The image of him in her dream came into her mind again, and she shivered. It was completely unrealistic and yet frighteningly perfect, and she caught herself wondering if it was true.

She shook her head quickly. _Yeah, right._ She thought. _Nick has wings. You're too tired, Max- go back to sleep._

She lay back down and tried to sleep, but all she could think about was her dream. Finally she scribbled it on a piece of paper so she'd remember to tell Nick- he'd get a kick out of it.

And then she fell asleep.

* * * * *

Fang sighed as he walked through the crowded high school hallways. This whole normal student act was quickly getting boring. Nudge loved it, but he felt like they were sitting ducks, just waiting for Itex to drop the cage on them again.

Suddenly, Max ran up to him. Her cheeks were red and it looked like she'd been running to catch him.

"Nick!" She said quickly, and Fang hid a grimace at the ridiculous name Nudge had made up for him. "I have to tell you about this dream I had."

Fang raised an eyebrow, letting Max catch her breath. "What was it?"

She shook her head, eyes wide. "It was so weird!" she exclaimed. "We were standing on this cliff, and it looked like it was going to start storming. I don't remember exactly, but you were saying how we had to leave and I was saying that I couldn't, but the strangest part was that you had _wings_."

Fang stared at her for a second, wondering how she had dreamed that up. What were the chances of a random dream being the truth of his life, and the secret he had to keep at all costs?

He swallowed. "That _is_ weird."

Max laughed, relieved by him blowing it off. "I know," she said. "Seriously, who has wings?" Fang laughed with her, breathing a sigh of relief.

"No one," he said, and Max grinned.

"Sorry I freaked you out, it was just so- _realistic_." She told him. "Well, I have to get to class. See you at lunch!"

Fang waved at her weakly, his heart sinking. No wonder she said it had been realistic- it had been _real_.

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I own my plot! **

**_A/N:_**_ I know it's been a while since I updated but I'm so busy and I swear my tennis coach is _insane_ and I'm rewarding you with an exciting and __long__ chapter! (I think so, at least)! Thanks for your support-9 reviews for one chapter, I feel so special! :D Can I ask to have 40 reviews before I update-that's only four more, and this story has 96 visitors!_

_To answer the questions, there will be Fax later, just not yet, and I can't say much more about whether Max and co. are winged or not, but I can promise that it will make sense later, so keep reading! -Rowena_

Anonymous review replies:

**)( *wings* )( **- I'm glad you like the story! I know it's confusing, but I don't want to say too much and ruin the plot for you. Still, I meant what I said, (they don't have wings _yet_) and I hope you'll keep reading to find out what I mean.

**goldenwingchick** – I'm glad you like it! It took me a while to update, but I did, so enjoy!

**bookworm** – I tried to answer your question, but all I can say is they don't have wings _yet_. I know it's not a great answer, but if you keep reading you'll find out. I'm glad you like the story, I hope you finish your homework (homework's what kept me from updating sooner), and I just did update. Hope you liked the chapter!

**_Sorry for the super-long A/N, but please leave a review!_**


	6. Chapter 6

Nudge was giggling when she skipped into Fang's bedroom that evening. He looked up from his homework, annoyed at the interruption until he saw who it was.

"Guess what?" Nudge squealed, practically jumping up and down.

"What?" Fang asked tiredly.

"Well," Nudge began, "Yesterday when I was at the mall with Angel and Ella and Max, I saw the _cutest_ purple boots but I didn't have enough time to buy them, and then we were tired and we decided to get something to eat, and Max and Ella only wanted snow balls but Angel and I went to get a soft pretzel and-"

"Is there a point to this?" Fang interrupted. "I love your stories, Nudge, but I _have_ to finish this."

Nudge nodded. "Just let me finish! So, anyways, we went to get a pretzel and when we got back Ella and Max were talking about some friend of Ella's party- _but_," she said, seeing Fang's annoyed glance, "Ella basically said that Max has a crush on you, and Max totally proved it when she denied it!"

Fang kept his face impassive. "And?"

Nudge's face fell. "I thought you'd be happy to know that. I mean, it seemed like you liked her." Nudge frowned- she'd been almost sure that for _once_ she had read through Fang's emotionless façade.

"Nudge…we're in danger. We have to be on our guard, always. And as nice as some people may seem, we can't trust them too much, and we can't get attached. Chances are we'll be gone by the end of the year."

Nudge scowled, tears filling her eyes. "Why do you always have to be suspicious?" she hissed. "Nothing has gone wrong here, and yet you're ready to up and leave! We have a home, and food, and we actually have _friends_ but you'd give it all up to go back to sleeping in trees and stealing food out of dumpsters?!"

"Nudge, Anne-"

"Is working for Itex, is spying on us, I know, I know! You've said that! But there's no proof! She's been nothing but nice to us since we got here!" Nudge exhaled loudly. "Sometimes I think you just can't stand not having someone to fight against," she grumbled, and stalked out, slamming Fang's door behind her.

* * * * *

"Max, you can't!" Ella whined. "Sam only said I could bring Iggy because he's my boyfriend! You can't just bring Nick!"

Max groaned. "If I don't, I won't know anyone there except you and Iggy, and you guys'll want to dance or something."

"You know Sam," Ella said.

Max rolled her eyes. "I've met him once. That doesn't really count. And he only invited me because he wanted to hit on me," she pointed out.

"You do need to go out more," Ella said.

Max sighed. "I might not even go," she said melodramatically. "It won't be any fun if I don't bring Nick."

"Fine!" Ella cried. "Bring him! See if Sam invites us anywhere _ever again_."

"Exactly," Max said, grinning.

Ella groaned. "You can be _such_ a pain sometimes."

* * * * *

"Hey, Nick!" Max said cheerfully as she sat down next to him at lunch. "Do you want to come to a party?"

Nick looked up at her through his hair as he stirred his coffee. "Why?"

"Well, this friend of Ella's invited us to a party and I was wondering if you wanted to come," Max told him.

"Who's party?"

"Some guy named Sam."

"Who all's going?"

"Me, Iggy, and Ella."

Nick thought about it for a minute and then nodded. "Sure."

"Shouldn't you ask Anne?"

Nick shrugged. "She won't mind."

"Great!" Max beamed. "By the way, what's up with Monique? She's been giving you a death glare all morning."

Nick shrugged again. "Dunno…"

* * * * *

_Two Weeks Later…_

Fang decided that he didn't like parties.

Anne, on the other hand, had been thrilled that he was going. Nudge was talking to him again and was also glad he was going, and Max was happy she'd convinced him to come.

Fang, however, was doubting his decision to come.

Taking a running leap off a skyscraper with his wings tucked in sounded more appetizing than staying at the party.

The crush of people, the loud music, the darkness and overwhelming stench of sweat was all making Fang very uncomfortable. A minute after they'd arrived, Iggy and Ella disappeared onto the dance floor, and as soon as they were lost in the crowd, Sam, the host, came up to Max. He literally dragged her off to God-knows-where, and although Fang was slightly worried about her, he was soon distracted by a drunk redhead named Lissa, who started flirting with him.

But the time he'd ditched her and went to find Max again, he had no clue where he was. He ran straight into a blond who was trying to dance with him, and he wanted nothing more than to get away from the almost-mosh-pit on the dance floor. Luckily, Max saved him from that by grabbing his arm and dragging him away.

"What have you been doing?" She was yelling, but he could barely hear her over the pounding music.

"Trying to find you!" he shouted back. "Where were you?"

Max rolled her eyes dismissively. "Sam wouldn't let me get away," she laughed, and Fang smiled.

Suddenly, someone knocked into Max, pushing her into Fang's chest. She tried to catch herself and her hands ended up grasping Fang's black shirt. She looked up in shock.

Fang leaned in closer to her, his hands lightly resting on her elbows. Max's breath caught as he leaned down closer. Her eyes flickered shut and he could practically feel the vibrating energy in the scant inch of space between their lips. He leaned even closer and-

_Crash!_

Max and Fang jumped apart as they were soaked by a cooler of melting ice being thrown onto them by someone who appeared to be drunk. Fang swore as he pushed his dripping hair out of his face. He'd been so close to Max, and the moment had to be ruined by _this_.

Max looked up at him, laughing nervously. "This sucks," she said, trying to wring out her dripping hair. Her shirt was now soaked, and she thanked God that it wasn't white- that would have been embarrassing.

"That's an understatement," Fang said grimly.

They stood in an awkward silence for a minute, before Max looked at her luckily waterproof watch. "It's getting late," she told him. "We should probably find Iggy and Ella and go home."

Fang nodded. "Let's go."

* * * * *

"How was the party?" Dr. Martinez had stayed up, waiting for her daughters to get home.

"It was awesome!" Ella said, and bounced upstairs. Dr. Martinez took in Max's sopping wet appearance and sighed.

"What happened?"

"Someone managed to knock a cooler of ice water onto me and Nick," Max said. "I'm going to head upstairs and dry off."

Dr. Martinez laughed. "Good idea," she said, following Max up the stairs.

Max sighed as her mom walked into her own room. She was so worried about her almost-kiss with Nick. Had he been trying to kiss her, or not? Did he wish they had kissed, or did he just like her as a friend? Her head swirled, and she shook it, hard.

_I sound like a cliché teenage girl,_ she thought with a groan, opening the door to her room. She took one step inside and tried to flick on the lights.

_Why won't the lights go on?_ was her last thought before she was knocked on the head and fell to the floor, unconscious.

**Disclaimer: I'm not JP, I don't own MR.**

_A/N: Go cliffhanger! I think this is a good chapter, and there's some Fax for you (yay!) so I hope you're happy._

_On a more serious note…I need your opinion in the form of a review or a vote in the poll on my profile. Now, when I started writing this I was going to make the flock _and_ Ella have wings. Strange, I know, but I liked the idea. But as I've thought about it and talked with __**Arin Blaire**__ I don't know if that would work. What do you think? Review and vote, because I really am leaving it up to you, my lovely readers!_

Anonymous review replies:

**ryd4theride**- confusing review. Fang is Fang but is using the name Nick, and it switches from being Fang and Nudge to Nick and Monique depending on if it's focusing on Max, who knows them as Nick and Monique, or Fang. I hope everyone got that. I know Fang isn't goth, but keep in mind that when the others are saying that they've never even met Fang, they've just seen him. Trust me, I know people who wear all black and aren't emo/goth at all. -rowena

**goldenwingchick**- glad you liked the chapter! This was a taste of Fax, and I updated! –rowena

**fanfic addict**- I'm glad you like the story, and thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this update-I enjoyed your very amusing review! –rowena


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